Pranks and Promises
by secret x
Summary: This is about the Marauders era, told from each of the main characters points of view - James, Remus, Sirius, Lily and Snape. Rudolphus plays a prank on James and Lily using Snape and the Marauders get their revenge. Quite funny(I think!)in places
1. Lily and James have a race

Sirius, Lupin, James and Peter were all sitting in the Hogwarts grounds under the shade of a huge old oak tree. It was a glorious sunny day in the spring and they were all relaxing after a hard day's study. They were talking and the subject turned, as it almost always did to girls.

"So Sirius, who've you got your eye on to be your next conquest then?" James said teasingly, looking at Sirius and smiling.

Sirius, who was twirling his wand round his fingers absently, smiled back, his eyes twinkling and said

"Hmmm! So many women, so little time," looking up into the air thoughtfully. "I would have to say that Vanessa Carlson is looking quite tasty these day's " he eventually answered, smiling at James

"Oooh! What would your mother say, her being a muggle born!" replied James deliberately goading him

"All the more reason to go out with her, if my mother wouldn't approve!" He said grinning

Everyone laughed at this statement.

When everyone had quieted down, Sirius spoke again "Well we all know who you like James, but after all this time she still won't go out with you! Is it the company you keep that puts her off, or your extremely offensive body odour, I wonder?" He said jokingly, knowing that mentioning Lily would touch a raw nerve with James. She kept resisting him no matter how persistent he was, which greatly mystified James as he had no trouble getting other girls to go out with him.

"Watch it Sirius!" James replied, in a mock threatening tone. He seemed to be thinking for a moment then said "Right, for that little remark, I challenge you to a dare!"

"Ooooh! You know how much I love a dare! I accept your challenge, sir!" he said, bowing and acting as if he was an old fashioned knight

"Right, now let's see," he looked around for inspiration for a moment, then smiled as it hit him

"Now we all know how much you love removing girls bra's, but have you ever tried to do it while she was still dressed and _without_ _her_ noticing?" He smiled, feeling sure that Sirius would say this dare was impossible. Nothing frustrated Sirius more than not being able to complete a dare, no matter how difficult or dangerous it was.

"No problem!" said Sirius, smiling devilishly "just pick me a girl, anyone will do.."

"Alright," said James. He looked round and spotted someone, "there, how about her" he grinned as he pointed to Elizabeth Cragworth. She wasn't exactly the most attractive girl in school and was a Slytherin, which made her even worse.

Sirius gave James an incredulous look "I don't know, she may get the wrong idea, you know she made a play for me at the last Yule Ball" he said slightly worried

"Well you did say anyone.." James replied, looking round at the others who were all smiling and looking expectantly at Sirius

"You're on, you know I always accept a dare..no matter how dangerous or difficult" Sirius replied, raising his eyebrows at James. They all stood up and hid behind the tree they had been sitting under. They watched with bated breath, as Sirius held his wand out in front of him concentrating and muttering charms under his breath. It seemed to be taking forever and when Elizabeth suddenly stopped her conversation with her friend and scratched, they thought the game was up. But she simply carried on talking. Suddenly something white and rather large, flew out of the sleeve of her shirt and landed in a tree above her. She screamed and tried to retrieve it, looking all around her for the culprit. Her friend helped her immediately, by bringing it down using her wand and they walked off in the direction of Hogwarts, looking disgusted and talking animatedly.

All four boys found this extremely funny and laughed fit to burst. They came out from behind the tree and Sirius bowed again.

"I salute you Sir" said James, bowing back and holding out his hand to shake Sirius's "That was quite brilliant, you'll have to teach me whatever charm it was you used!"

"Oh it was quite simple really, I used a rather useful undressing charm I found called 'Disuingo' but only targeted a specific item of clothing." Sirius explained, looking very pleased with himself.

"Well James, seeing as I completed your dare successfully I think it is now your turn" Sirius said looking at James. James was worried, he didn't quite have the same 'devil may care' attitude that Sirius had and some of his dares could be a little too 'harey' .

Sirius seemed to be thinking for a moment, then he grinned and looked round at James "I'll be kind to you today and say.. you can take on the same dare you gave me..with her!" he pointed to a very pretty girl not too far away, with long reddish brown hair, who'd just come and sat down with her friends.

"Not her, anyone but her, Sirius please!" James pleaded, looking over at the girl in question. It was of course Lily Evans.

"You said anyone and I picked a girl at random" Sirius said in mock innocence

"She'd string him up if she caught him! She's still not forgotten about that time we put that slimy eel from the lake in her bag, last year!" said Remus Lupin, looking at Sirius raising his eyebrows

"Yes that was a brilliant prank, I must admit, after all I had to get her back after that remark she made about you James! But you're not going to welsh on a dare are you?" Sirius said goadingly looking in James's direction, one eyebrow raised questioningly

"Of course not!" said James not wanting to appear like he was chickening out, but in reality he was very nervous and hoped she didn't find out it was him. They hid behind the tree again and waited for James to begin. He pointed his wand out in front, his tongue sticking out in concentration. Then he uttered the charm Sirius had told him, weaving his wand this way and that as if mimicking the action of removing the bra by hand.

Lily was a lot more perceptive than Elizabeth though and noticed something was wrong, suddenly standing up with a squeal and looking around. At this sudden movement James panicked and sent a jolt of power through his wand. Something white and lacy suddenly shot out of Lily's sleeve and made it's way like a bullet out of a gun in the direction of the Four's hiding place. James caught it and looked at it dazedly for a moment, before Sirius shouted at him

"Run for it guys, she's heading this way!"

Laughing, they all ran fast across the ground's towards the Forbidden Forest, which was nearer than the school. Lily was very determined though and was catching up with them. James suddenly pulled out in front, being the fastest runner. He ran every morning to keep himself fit for quidditch.

Lily was no mean runner herself though and started to gain on him. They were going deeper into the forest now and James realised they could be going too far and stopped. Lily caught up with him, panting. She pointed her wand at him and with a threatening look on her face

"Give it me back James.. this minute! Or I'll..I'll hex you!" she forced the words out, still trying to get her breath back

James suddenly felt quite wicked as it was a rare oppurtunity to get her alone like this. He saw an opportunity to tease her some more while she was weakened by the run.

"You'll have to come and get it," he said looking at her impishly and shoving the underwear down his shirt.

"Accio bra!" Lily shouted determinedly, pointing her wand at him, but James deftly rebounded the spell, with his own wand.

"You know you can't get me like that, you'll just have to come and get it by hand!" James said teasingly. Everyone knew how quick he was at rebounding any hex spells that came his way. So it was almost impossible to throw a spell at him when facing him head on.

Lily pursed her lips and walked towards him, looking at him with distain. "Please would you give it me back?" she said with forced politeness.

"Oh alright!" said James in defeat, pulling the bra out of his shirt. But then he had another idea. He put his hands behind his back and said to her smiling "which hand?"

Lily became exasperated now and tried to snatch behind his back. James backed up to get out of her reach and in doing so tripped over a tree root. She laughed at him putting her hand over her mouth.

James felt a little silly and it annoyed him that she was laughing at him, but at the same time he couldn't help thinking how beautiful it sounded. Then he had another rather wicked idea.

"Are you going to help me up then?" he asked her innocently

"Alright" Lily agreed, still giggling. She reached her hand out and he grabbed it, but instead of him pulling himself up, he suddenly pulled her in the opposite direction, towards him. He caught her completely off guard so she didn't have time to stop herself. As soon as she hit the soft forest floor James quickly climbed on top of her, using his weight to hold her down.

"Get off me James Potter, right NOW!" Lily said struggling violently, but to little avail, James was much stronger

"If you give me a kiss first" said James feeling daring, he felt sure that she liked him really, but was just too proud to admit it. He also couldn't pass up an great opportunity like this.

"You have to be joking! Get off me James, I'm warning you!" she spat back. But James didn't move, he simply sat up, still on top of her; gripping her tightly with his strong leg muscles. He looked down smiling smugly, his arms folded.

"Only if you give me a kiss, I'm not moving until you do" he said resolutely,

"Oh alright, if it means that much to you go ahead! But no funny business! Just a quick kiss!" she said exsasperatedly in defeat, but James was sure he saw the briefest of smiles flicker across her face.

"I know you like me really, you just don't want to admit it do you!" he said leaning over her again and moving his face close to hers, smiling triumphantly.

"No, I just want you to get off me so I can go that's all!" Lily retorted defensively

But James was still smiling as he took off his glasses then moved in for a kiss, expecting her to allow him just a quick peck. But as soon as his lips touched hers his true feelings for her started to take over, he wanted more and to his complete surprise she responded. He pressed down harder deepening the kiss, enjoying the delicious softness of her mouth beneath his. But just as he was starting to think his luck was really in at last, she suddenly pushed him back, looking at him with a shocked expression on her face. Whether at her self or him James couldn't tell.

James allowed Lily to push him off this time and she got up quickly, brushing herself off. She looked at James an annoyed expression on her face as she held out her hand expectantly. After giving her the bra, James watched, slightly dumbfounded as she marched off through the bushy undergrowth.

He followed slowly, thinking about how good her lips had felt against his a warm, clenching feeling rising in his stomach. He hoped he hadn't gone too far and ruined his chances though now. Pushing her into a kiss like that had been something he'd done with other girls in the past, but Lily was different she was special.

He walked on until he reached the edge of the woods and waited until his friends caught up with him. Just then the bell rang, it was time for dinner.

In the dinner hall the Maruaders all sat together as usual, laughing and joking about what they had just done and who else they could do it to. James kept sneaking looks at Lily, who sat at the opposite end of the table from him, but she was purposely ignoring him.

"So come on, tell us what happened in the forest then? Anything..interesting?" Sirius asked James suggestively

James was still concentrating on Lily, but on hearing Sirius speak he said

"Oh nothing much.." then he turned and smiled at the others, feeling like showing off , "I only got a kiss, that's all " he finished, a smug look on his face

"Well, well, well..things are looking up! Maybe the situation is not so hopeless as we first thought! Put it there Prongs!" Sirius said, holding out his hand for James to shake, which he did briefly.

"The only trouble is..I don't think she's too happy about it now " James said sadly, looking back in Lily's direction again

"Why don't you just be honest with her, tell how you really feel" Remus suggested

"No, you never do that with a girl, they'll just use it against you. You should always keep an air of mystery, keep them guessing, keeps them on their toes. Never tell them you love them, it gives them the upper hand and you don't want to end up wound round her finger do you James?" Sirius said, leaning over towards his friend, with a serious look on his face

"I never said that I loved her and I would never end up wound round anyone's finger" James replied sullenly, flashing a look at Sirius, but secretly knowing it was true – he did love her and would tell her so if he only had the courage.

Lily had finished her meal now and was now getting up from her seat with her friends. As she pushed in her chair she looked over shyly in his direction and seeing him looking at her, blushed and looked down suppressing a smile.

The other boys had seen this too and offered James whoops of support and encouragement.

James felt that at last he had made progress and felt hopeful. He knew now that Lupin was right, as usual, he knew that he needed to tell her how he really felt and stop pretending that it was just some sort of game that he was playing.

"Excuse me, boys, I'm just going on an important mission!" he said not looking towards Lily

He followed Lily and her friends back to the Gryffendor common room, keeping his distance. Just as she was about to enter, he grabbed her arm to get her attention.

"Lily..can I talk to you?" he said hopefully

"I've got nothing to say to you, not after that stunt you pulled this afternoon" Lily answered, pulling her arm out of his grasp

"Please Lily, I'm sorry. It was just a stupid joke, I'm sorry if I frightened you, I didn't mean it to go that far. I just wanted to tease you" James said looking downcast

Lily also looked down for a moment, then looking up said "What did you want to talk about?"

"Can we go somewhere more private? I don't want an audience for what I have to say" James replied, looking directly in her eyes, pleadingly.

"Can I trust you this time?" she said, raising her eyebrows at him

"Implicitly, I promise. I just want to talk" he answered honestly

"Well alright then, just for a moment" Lily gave in sighing.

They walked a little way down the corridor and coming to a small alcove with a curved seating area. They both sat down. James took a deep breath and then took both Lily's hands in his own, looking down slightly.

"Lily I have to tell you..that..I..I" he struggled with the words at first, then blurted them out suddenly "I love you. There I've said it" James felt relieved at, at last admitting how he really felt.

Lily's face went from shock to incredulity, then she smiled. "Are you telling me the truth James? This isn't some sort of game or trick, cooked up by you and your friends?"

"I promise you I'm telling you the truth Lily, I really love you, I've known for ages, but..I didn't have the guts to tell you."

"I've liked you for a long time too, I was just waiting for you to grow up first. It looks my wait is over" Lily said looking at him with a soft smile

James felt suddenly so happy he could barely hold it in. then he said "So will you go out with me then?"

"Okay! Yes, I will!" Lily said rolling her eyes but still smiling.

James let out a whoop and jumped up, running down the corridor shouting "YES! YES! SHE LOVES ME! SHE LOVES ME!" he nearly knocked a 3rd year girl flying and helping her steady herself said, "she loves me!" the girl smiled and gave him a look that said, "you are completely mad!"

James carried on down the corridor shouting and whooping, feeling completely elated and needing to tell his friends the good news, he ran back down the way he had come. Lily climbed through the portrait hole with a very big smile on her face


	2. Lily's Side

Lily walked down the corridor slowly, wondering if she had made the right decision. She did like him, sure, but she didn't know if she loved him, yet. It was obvious he loved her though. She hadn't realised the strength of his feelings before and thought he wanted her to be just another in the string of girls he had been out with. These relationships had never lasted long, they usually ended with the girl throwing something at him and swearing a lot and it never seemed to bother him for long as he soon picked up with someone else.

She had to give him points for persistence though when it came to her, he had been trying for four years to get her to go out with him. What she'd said to him had been true though; she _had_ been waiting for him to grow up. She only hoped this latest admittance of feelings was for real and not just a clever trick. He had seemed really genuine but you never really knew with James.

She decided to take a walk, not really wanting to go to the common room just yet. She needed time and space to think, so went to go back out onto the Hogwarts grounds.

Once outside again she breathed deep, the sweet smell of spring air pervading her nostrils. As it was evening, the temperature was cooler now and she wrapped her cloak more tightly around her as she walked.

Suddenly she saw a figure in the near distance, sitting by a tree. As she got closer she saw that it was Severus Snape, looking like he was deep in thought.

In previous years she had been his defender against the persistent efforts of The Marauders, mainly Sirius and James to make his life a misery. But he had always met her attempts at friendship with disdain, but not any more. It had been from about after the Christmas holidays, that they had started to talk and now they had a strange sort of friendship, or maybe, more of an alliance against The Marauders attentions. She didn't know how he would react when she told him that she had at last given in to James and agreed to go out with him. She never the less decided to tell him.

"Hello Severus, it's unusual to see you out here at this time of night" Lily said sitting down on the damp grass next to him

"The noise level was rather too much in the dorm tonight. They have some sort of party going on, someone's birthday, I believe" Severus answered, a look of irritation on his face, "so I decided to come out here for some peace and quiet"

"Hhmmm...me too, I love it out here at this time of night with all the birds singing and the colour of the sky when the sun sets against it." Lily said dreamily, looking out at the beautiful scenery all around them.

"Humph! You are such a hopeless romantic soul Lily Evans!" Snape said sounding incredulous, but with the faintest of smiles.

"Maybe I am, but I think you need a bit of romance in your life Severus Snape! Have you got a girlfriend yet?" She asked already knowing the answer

"You know all the girls in Slytherin look at me like I am a pustulated flobberworm or something and anyway I do not like any of them either. My studies keep me busy enough at any rate, I have little time for anything else at the moment." Snape said resolutely, but he was looking down at his knees as he spoke and finished with a sigh.

"I'm sure the right person will come along soon." She said comfortingly, laying a hand on his shoulder, "I've always believed that your true love will always find you, no matter how long it takes, because if you were meant to be together, fate will always lend a hand." Lily went on. Severus did not answer, he just looked into the distance. They were silent for a while then she remembered her news

"Erm, I have something to tell you. I don't think you're going to like it, but here goes...James asked me out today and.." she looked down biting her lip, "I said yes" she sat there, nervously waiting for his reaction

He looked at her for a second then looked down again,"It was only a matter of time wasn't it," he said resignedly

"I hope you don't think this means we can't be friends anymore because it will make no difference to me. In fact I can now guarantee that he will leave you alone, or there will be hell to pay!" Lily said encouragingly

"They have lost interest in me lately so it will be of little consequence" Severus said stiocly, getting up, "well I am going to my room, hopefully the party will have got to the 'face sucking' stage by now and it will be quiet"

Lily laughed at this last statement "maybe you should try it sometime, you might like it!"

His expression was unreadable as, smiling briefly, he turned and walked away, back into the building.

Now she had told Severus, Lily suddenly felt really happy, she was now going out with someone she had fancied for years and who loved her (so he claimed). It was true he had calmed down a bit lately, now often seen poring through books in the library, looking exasperated. She had heard rumours that he wanted to be an auror, like his father. They only took students on as auror's, if they had good exam results or exceptional talents, so he was obviously trying to cover all the bases. Lily had been impressed by this attitude; it showed he was now thinking about his future and not just about having fun with his friends. But even despite her-self, she giggled at their latest bra-removing prank; it had been quite harmless by their standards.

She sat there for a while thinking some more, but as it began to get dark she knew it was time to go in. She got up and taking one last look, walked up to the doors of the school.

When she arrived in the common room, James was waiting for her, a look of concern on his face.

"Where have you been? I was starting to get worried" He said, sounding a little annoyed

"I have just been for a walk, I am still allowed to you know." Lily said crossing her arms defiantly. Then she launched into a tirade, "Don't go thinking that just because we are going out now, you can tell me what to do and where to go, I won't stand for it!"

She was feeling self-conscious and irritated and that had made her anger rise up, mainly because of whom she had been talking to; she knew James would not approve of her friendship with Severus.

"Alright! Calm down, I just wondered that was all. I thought maybe you had changed your mind and were trying to hide from me, or something. I couldn't bear that, not after you've just seen the light at last and agreed to go out with me" James said grinning cockily at her

"You..you.." Lily started to say, but James moving quickly in to kiss her softly on the lips cut her off. She resisted a little at first, wanting to finish what she had been saying, but he persisted and she gave in. Suddenly they realised they had an audience and pulled away from each other, feeling a little embarrassed. James's friends and quite a few others were still up too and were watching curiously. Suddenly a cheer went up.

"It's about time you two got together. You know, we've all been hoping that this would be the year that you would and now you have, so congratulations!" said a boy that they both knew as Percy Beatus,(a name that got him a lot of ribbing, for obvious reasons) on behalf of the gathered crowd

James and Lily just smiled and looked at each other fondly

"Well I'm going to go to my room now James, so I'll see you tomorrow, " she said, turning to go up the stairs

James grabbed her and kissed her one last time, but Lily had to tell him that she really wanted to go. He was like a kid with a new toy, he didn't seem to want to let her go now he'd got her. But nevertheless he did reluctantly let go and she went up to her dorm. That night she lay in bed thinking of him and how wonderful it felt to kiss him and realised that she was very glad she hadn't waited any longer.


	3. The Sadness of Severus

Severus Snape walked back to his dorm feeling as dark as the robes he always wore. He had tried to fight his feelings but it was no use; he knew he was in love with Lily. Now that grinning idiot had won her at last, didn't she care any more what a tormentor James had been to him? True he had got his own back a few times, but they, those 'Marauders', had always started it.

He paused as he got to the portrait door of the Slytherin dorm, dreading the scene that would be on the other side. Taking a deep breath, he muttered the password and climbed in.

The party had quietened down now and some people were kissing, but it wasn't the orgy that Slytherin 7th year parties sometimes, ended up being. Soft music was flowing from a wizarding radio and people were sitting and just listening or talking quietly.

He hoped to walk past them unnoticed, but no such luck. Rodolphus Lestrange stuck out one of his pointy boots and stopped Severus in his tracks. Severus looked down briefly then went as to walk around another way.

"Not so fast Sevvy! I want a word with you, I want you to do me a little favour," Rodolphus said lazily. He was sitting with his arm around Bellatrix, his girlfriend, his feet out in front of him, resting on a table. He smiled, trying to look friendly, but more like a snake about to swallow a mouse. Severus looked at him with distain at being called 'Sevvy'.

"What do you want Rodolphus? More sustaining potion?" He smiled inwardly at this clever, cutting remark, Rodolphus had wanted to keep this little fact a secret, especially from Bellatrix.

Rodolphus scowled at Severus, while Bellatrix looked on curiously, but she knew better than to question her boyfriend about trivial things when he wanted to talk business.

"No! No.. I want to talk about your little friendship with that mud-blood, Lily Evans" Rodolphus's face broke into a smile again as he saw the shock on Severus's. "I, or should I say, we, would like to use it to our advantage. My spies tell me that she has now agreed to go out with James Potter, we also know how much she means to him. I would like you to take your relationship up a notch.." he broke off waiting for Severus's reaction

"How did you.." but then he remembered that not much got past Rodolphus, he had spies everywhere, either paid or threatened into his service.

"Why should she want to take up with me now she has agreed to go out with him? I don't believe she has any romantic feelings towards me whatsoever, so it would be pointless for me to try. What advantage would you gain from it anyway Rodolphus?" Severus finished, looking at his fellow Slytherin with a suspicious look on his face

"Oh I just need to get revenge on him that's all. He's as slippy as an eel, always seeming to get out of my carefully planned attacks. He also goads me on the Quidditch pitch, nobody could be that good, I swear those soft teachers favour him and let him cheat..anyway back to the plan.."

Severus listened as Rodolphus told him that he and his gang, planned to attack James when he was at his most vunerable; one, when he was alone without his friends to aid him and two, when he was angry – too angry to notice people creeping up on him. Severus hated being used as a pawn in this way, but he knew he had no choice, Rodolphus was very powerful both in magic and in influence. There would be a lot of trouble, if he did not do as he had been told. Severus had merely nodded curtly in agreement, when he had been told his part in the plan and had then gone on to his room.

He undressed and got into bed, closing the curtains tightly around it. He lay back among his pillows with a sigh, glad to be alone at last. He felt very tired as it was now way past his usual bedtime, as he closed his eyes he thought about Lily , picturing her beautiful face in his mind. If only she could think of him the way she thought about James, but he knew it was impossible; he had none of the looks, charm or talent that James had.

Severus had been brought up to be stoic and not show emotions openly. His father had thought it to be a sign of great strength. He had been beaten regularly and expected not to cry to 'toughen him up' as his father had put it. It had the desired effect but had also made him feel resentment instead of respect for authority figures, or anyone with something he hadn't got. Sometimes he felt the whole world was against him, that no one understood him. There was only one person who shone a light against the darkness of his existence; Lily. She had still stood up for him even when he had never asked or thanked her for it. She seemed to see into his soul, to see the suffering that lay inside and reached out the hand of friendship to him, time and time again. She was so insightful; she seemed to know him better than he knew himself at times. It had been a gradual process; she had slowly worn him down into being on friendly terms with her. He did not trust easily, in fact he did not trust anyone at this school apart from her. He had told her things no one else knew, things she had promised never to tell. He hoped that she would still keep that promise now, now she was going out with Potter. He was more than a little afraid that she wouldn't, especially after what he was about to do. _What would James do to him? Would Rodolphus protect him, as he had promised, from James's inevitable wrath? _He sincerely hoped so, James was not someone you 'crossed' lightly, he was a very powerful wizard.

He had been told him to arrange a meeting with Lily near the Forbidden Forest the next day and they would do the rest.


	4. The Kiss

Waking up the next day, Severus now felt extremely nervous at what he had to do. He had been told to arrange to meet Lily when school had finished for the day and tell her that it was very important. The morning lesson of History of magic dragged even more than usual, which was boring even to an attentive student such as Severus. Then the next one of Transfiguration, which was not his favourite subject, went quite quickly. He decided that dinnertime would be the best time to pass on the message to Lily, but he would have to be very discreet, as it was likely she would be spending it with James now. It had been stressed to him that James should _not_ find out about the meeting, until the last minute.

He finished his meal quickly, then, waiting for a moment when James and his friends were distracted he made his move. They were laughing at something very amusing to them and looking only at each other for a moment; this gave Severus a chance to drop a note into Lily's lap. She'd seen him coming, but knew better not to smile, their friendship was a secret between only them. As the note hit her legs she quickly screwed it up; hiding it in her hand and slid it into her bag to read later.

Severus waited in a small grassy clearing in the forest that evening, pacing up and down. He had not had the nerve to tell Rodolphus that he had never done anything like this before and that he had very little idea of what to do. He had done some research in the library beforehand, (6th and 7th years having access to the restricted section) to get some ideas. He had actually been quite disgusted at what he had seen, never being very comfortable with the thought of physical affection. He also felt sad, as he knew it would probably mean the end of their friendship. But he told himself that he had needed no one before and would be perfectly fine without her.

A rustle of leaves made him jump and turn around quickly; it was Lily. She was smiling as usual, completely oblivious to what was going to happen to her. Severus started to shake inwardly _and_ outwardly with nerves as she got closer to him. There was an old fallen tree in the clearing and he invited her to sit down on it, next to him. Lily obliged looking at him expectantly.

Suddenly he felt like he was going to chicken out and make a run for it, this was so hard, she trusted him completely and he was going to break that trust. He knew that the whole basis of Rodolpuhus's plan was to make James angry, so angry he would lose concentration momentarily. This would be just enough time for Rodolphus and his gang to be able to capture and overpower him, hopefully. He could hardly bear it as he waited for the signal, which was to be a brief flash of light from a wand in the bushes. But he knew it must be soon, so he began to speak:

"Lily.. I have to tell you something, something I have wanted to tell you for a long time, but had lacked the courage to do so." He paused looking down. This statement was true, even though he had been told to say it by Rodolphus, who hadn't known. "I ..I feel.." he looked up again slightly to see if he could see the signal yet.

A light suddenly flashed and he knew it was time to make his move. Grabbing Lily by the arms, he lunged at her, but in his inexperience he pushed too hard and they both ended up on the damp forest floor. Lily looked shocked for a moment, but before she could say anything, Severus had covered her mouth with his own. He had not expected what happened next; feelings he normally kept well under control, began to stir within him. He felt pleasure, yes kissing her felt good! Really good! He realised he wanted it to carry on. Even though this was the first time he had ever kissed a girl properly, it seemed like his body knew what to do. Still holding on to her arms, he felt her start to struggle beneath him as the shock wore off. But he knew he had to keep her there until James arrived - which he soon did.

"What the hell is going on! Get off her you greasy creep! NOW!" As James said the word 'now', Severus felt himself being lifted up into the air magically and being thrown through the air. He came to land hard against a tree, this impact sent a great searing pain up his back, but he did not let on or cry out. He tried to get up but his head whizzed around so much that he slumped back down again, closing his eyes to shut out the spinning world around him.

Suddenly he heard scuffling and muffled shouting going on. Rodolphus and his friends must have turned up to carry out the second half of their plan, which Severus had not been told about. He hoped that they would not hurt Lily too much. They had assured him they did not want to harm her, only James.

He had felt bad before but never as bad as now; he was sickened and disgusted at his own actions. To force himself on her like that, someone as trusting and unsuspecting as Lily. She _was_ like a Lily to him, beautiful and pure and he had now tainted the purity that he felt was in her, forever. She would never be as trusting again and never as friendly to strangers as she had been.

As the scuffling faded into the distance, Severus got unsteadily to his feet and walked back to the school, being thankful that his part was now over. He didn't doubt that Rodolphus would be very pleased with him, maybe even rewarding him, but he would not feel any kind of exultation whatsoever. Though knowing that he had just got James back for his relentless teasing, better than _anything_ he had ever tried to do before, at least made him feel a little better.


	5. James gets a shock

James had been waiting for Lily to come outside into the grounds and meet him after school had finished. Sirius and Remus were meeting some girls they knew in the common room, as he had asked them to, so him and Lily could be alone for a while.

He stood there by the old oak tree, scuffing his feet on the grass, thinking of what he could say to her. He didn't want to sound too soppy, but also not like he was still trying to act 'cool' around her. He wanted to tell her how he really felt, that he had fallen hopelessly and completely in love and wanted to be with her always. He was worried though; what if she didn't feel the same way? No, maybe he should play it cool, at least for now, just to see how it went. He wanted her to admit her feelings first, before he totally committed himself. She may even be frightened off if she thought he was too serious, too soon.

Suddenly, a first year boy with messy hair and freckles approached and awoke James from his musings.

"I...I've got a message for you. It's from Lily" the boy seemed very intimidated by James whom everyone knew, was one of infamous 'Marauders'. He took a deep breath, before finishing the message. "She says to meet her in the forest, in the clearing, down the way from where we do Care of Magical Creatures," the boy seemed relieved now he had completed his task, but he hovered, unsure of whether to go or not. James nodded, smiling in his direction and the nervous boy ran off.

James made his way down to the forest clearing; he knew it well, having used it for many Marauders meetings. He smiled to himself, this must mean she really liked him, why else would she want to meet him somewhere so out of the way, where they were unlikely to be disturbed? He felt a sense of anticipation and excitement rise within him as he walked.

When he was nearly there, he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. _'What was that?'_ He thought to himself, then shook his head, disregarding it as unimportant.

He pushed himself through the bushes and stepped into the clearing. He was not prepared for what he saw there; Severus Snape, someone he had hated since they were in their first year, was on top of Lily, _his_ Lily! He also realised that Lily was not a willing participant, as her arms looked like they were being held down forcibly.

Anger rose within James like a burning fire, adrenaline rushed around his body, readying him for a fight. The sense of injustice at what was being done to her and deeper primal feelings, that something of his was being taken by another, increased his rage. He no longer felt responsible for his actions as he held out his wand towards Severus. The pulse of power that shot out the end nearly knocked James off his feet. He looked on with satisfaction as Severus was lifted up and thrown into a tree trunk with a sickening thud.

Blood was rushing in his ears now cutting out all sound and nothing else mattered at this moment in time except getting revenge on Severus for what he had done. Lily had got up and looking around saw James and immediately called out his name, but James paid her no heed, he was totally focused on what he wanted to do. But as he approached the tree where Severus now sat slumped, he felt himself being grabbed from behind.

The mood he was in sent him into a frenzy of kicking and punching, they nearly lost hold of him twice and turned the air blue as they felt the pain of James's efforts to free himself.

As James opened his mouth to shout in protest at his detainment, he felt something cold and wet being dribbled in. He was suddenly struck with fear, he knew it must be some sort of potion, but had no idea what. Then everything went black.

When he came to, it was dark and he felt around with his hands, trying to work out where he was. Looking up he saw the dim outlines of tree branches and the ground beneath him was cold, damp and crunchy. He now knew he was in the Forbidden Forest.

His questing fingers suddenly touched something soft and warm, another person's hand. As he felt this hand he knew instinctively that it was Lily's, without even being able to see her. He shivered and realised he was cold, very cold, then as his eyes got used to the dim light, he saw why; he had been stripped naked and left without a wand. His hands and feet were loose, but the tops of his arms and chest were bound against a rough barked' tree trunk with thick rope, he guessed that Lily had befallen the same fate on the other side. He soon wriggled out of the bindings and stood up rubbing his stiff aching back. Although under normal circumstances he would have loved to have seen Lily naked, he knew it was not fair to look at her when she was asleep and couldn't cover herself. His vision was a little fuzzy anyway as his glasses were also missing. He crouched down beside her sleeping form and nudged her shoulder, calling her name softly; he really did not want to attract too much attention, not this far into the Forbidden Forest.

Lily moaned and started to stir, her head rolling about against the tree. She opened her eyes and squinted trying to make out her surroundings.

"Lily, it's me, James. You have to get up we need to get back to the school. Erm, just to let you know though, you're..er..naked." James said, trying to be tactful

"What? Where..ohh!" As she jumped in shock, the loosened ropes fell off her; she quickly put her arms up to cover her chest and curled her legs up. James immediately turned around.

"Look Lily, we have to get out of here, we're in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, at night, it's freezing and on top of that our clothes have been taken. I just don't understand why, all I remember is coming to meet you and then .. .nothing." James rubbed his head as if trying to stimulate his memory. "Come on we'd better get back" he held out his hand to Lily, but she refused to take it.

"I hope this isn't one of your pranks James Potter!" Lily said sternly, "if it is, I'll..I'll never speak to you ever again, that's it, we're over for good!" Then her tone softened as she concentrated, trying to search her memory.

"Ohh.._I_ can't remember anything either, just coming to meet you..I think, look, you go in front, I'll follow you."

She got up slowly, trying to cover herself as best she could "Don't look! Turn in that direction if you please!" She warned him and he duly turned around, though he couldn't really see anything anyway.

They started to walk; it was scratchy when you were dressed but naked it was horrendous. After what seemed like an age and many "ow's" and "ouch's" later, they heard movement up ahead, then voices. James put out his arm and indicated to Lily to scoot down low. They waited with baited breath and then saw several Centaurs getting closer into view, carrying dim lights, their outlines mingling in with the dark trees. James felt frustrated, without his glasses he couldn't see a clear way past them and without his wand he couldn't defend against them.

It was too late now anyway; the Centaurs were sniffing the air, their excellent sense of smell leading them to the unfortunate pair.

"What are you doing in our Forest!" said one standing over them, shining a light in their eyes, "You have been warned not to come here, we are tired of humans ignoring our warnings, you shall pay dearly for this disrespect!" A young sounding, but gruff voice shouted at them.

"No wait, give them chance to explain why they are here, look, they wear no coverings, humans always wear coverings. I think they may be students from the school, they still look quite young" said another much softer voice

"Nevertheless they have flouted the rules, we were guaranteed by those wizards that our privacy would be maintained and that no students from the school, or otherwise, would be allowed to enter our homeland!" said an older, more authoritative voice.

"Yes, let us take them back and punish them," the gruff voice spoke again

James felt terrified of what the punishment would entail; knowing the Centaurs could be pretty heartless when it came to trespassing humans. Suddenly another much brighter light appeared in the darkness; a magical light - from a wand.

"I don't think that will be necessary Hesperus, I will take it from here!" A familiar voice said

James felt enormous relief; it was Dumbledore, their defence against the Dark Arts teacher.

Dumbledore commanded respect wherever he went, even grudgingly from the centaurs. They turned to look at him.

"These poor children have been missing all night, we have been looking everywhere for them. It is a relief to find them at last." Dumbledore explained

"But they have trespassed! We were promised that no humans would come in to the forest any more, especially this far in " Said the older centaur

"I apologise for their disobedience, I can assure you they will be punished, but now is not the time or the place. Come on you two, let's get you back up to the school." Dumbledore called to James and Lily through the unmoving Centaurs.

"Erm.. there is a problem Professor... we haven't got any clothes on" James said sheepishly

"What? Why, what on earth have you been up to this time James, this is bad by even your standards!" said Dumbledore, coming closer. He looked at the pair as his light shone upon them, then with a wave of his wand produced two robes and passed them over.

Lily and James put them on gratefully, enjoying the warmth they provided, then they got up and walked over to Dumbledore.

More voices could be heard now as they got closer to the edge of the Forest. Other teachers had also been looking for them and on seeing the threesome, approached with their lighted wands raised.

James for once couldn't think of an explanation out of his predicament, but he knew one thing; the thought of climbing into his warm, comfortable bed right now was the only thing he wanted to do.


	6. Sirius, Dog by name, Dog by nature

Sirius Black was the sort of boy at school who you always remembered. He was good looking, charming, popular (especially with girls) and talented. He had dark shoulder length wavy hair and a slim but wiry physique like a dancer's. In fact he did dance; effortlessly well, sang beautifully and played several instruments. He loved to sit some evenings, when he was in a contemplative mood and sing, strumming along on his acoustic guitar, sometimes writing his own lyrics and music and putting on performances for his friends.

Because James had gone off to be alone with Lily that night, Sirius and Remus had decided to spend time with some girls themselves. Peter had been ordered to stay in the common room for a while and told he could come back up in a couple of hours after they'd had the chance to have some fun behind the closed curtains of their individual four poster's.

Now, Remus and a girl called Celia Bartrum were sitting on Remus's bed, Sirius was sitting on his bed with a girl called Flora Lovegood, Peter and a couple more boys were also lounging their beds, listening.

Sirius was singing a love song and playing a melodic tune along with it on his guitar. Everyone was rapt with attention, listening to his beautiful, soulful voice and effortless playing. The one who was paying him the most attention was the girl on his bed, who was lying on her front, head in hands and feet waving around in the air. She was wearing one of his shirts and very little else as Sirius's silver tongue had managed to talk her into making love with him. Flora was the latest in a long line of girls he had previously dallied with and he was rather fond of this one, though he would not have admitted it to her.

He could never commit himself to just one girl for very long, he just wanted a bit of fun and no more. He wanted to enjoy himself and experience being with as many girls as possible. He never chickened out of chatting up any girl he fancied, if they said no, it was their loss, if they said yes, they were in for a good time. Even though they knew what he was like, he was still popular with most of the girls and they enjoyed flirting with him. Some of the girls hated him, thinking he treated girls shabbily, but for now and for the most part he was getting away with it. He tended to feel that the girls knew what they were getting into when they went out with him and should be able to handle the consequences.

He was also popular with most of the boys, his fearlessness and sheer nerve on tackling practically any dare, (except ones that would get him thrown out of school) no matter how difficult or dangerous, got him a pretty good reputation with them too.

There was one time when he and his friends had been jokingly discussing which female teachers they would kiss if given a choice between them. After much thought Sirius had said McGonagall as she was probably the best looking even though she was twenty years older than he was. They had all hooted with laughter and then James issued a dare to him, to actually kiss Professor McGonagall.

Sirius had agreed and the next day he and his friends stood waiting for her to come out of her transfiguration classroom. The other three hid a little way out of sight to watch. He had, though, asked to borrow James's invisibility cloak to disguise him self. As soon as she had come out through the door he had reached up and pecked her on the cheek. She was shocked at first, but with her excellent 'cat-like' sense of smell, she guessed who it was right away. They all ran off down the corridor, as fast as their legs would carry them, with her shouting after them saying "I know it was you Sirius, you naughty boy!" But her tone was not too serious. He could charm the pants off practically any female, (sometimes literally!) even the teachers.

James and Sirius often used his invisibility cloak for more dubious activities; things that Remus would often try in vain to talk them out of. Like watching the girls in the showers after a quidditch match or throwing things at unsuspecting passers-by, tapping them on the shoulder or hexing them, and falling about laughing as they span round looking confused as to why they couldn't see their attacker.

As for his ability with girls, his experience was quite extensive for his 18 years of age. He had lost his virginity when he was 14 to girl called Colette, who had her-self been 16 at the time.

As he was pretty much estranged from his mother he stayed mostly with relatives or James for the summer holidays. This one time he had been staying at his favourite cousin Andromeda Tonks house for a while. Colette was the daughter of friends' of the family, from France. They had spent 3 weeks of the summer having a great time together getting closer and more intimate, then had a memorable last night, before she went back home. She'd had no idea that he was only 14, she had presumed he was the same age as her, as he not told her different. He also looked older than his years, having been an 'early bloomer.'

He had lost no time since, having built up quite the reputation as the school 'Casanova'.

The song finished, he put down his guitar and bowed to his clapping audience.

"That was beautiful, Sirius!" said Flora, looking up at him admiringly "but when are you going to write a song for me, like you promised?" she said, pouting.

"Look I always keep my promises, I will do it" Sirius said in a placatory tone, looking at her smiling, his dark hair falling across his clear brown eyes. He brushed it back absently, making it fall to the sides again, then leant back against his pillows.

Flora looked up at him and smiled not getting her hopes up too much. Sirius did keep his promises but in his own time. He had a way of putting off things he didn't want to do until you gave up asking for him to do them. She crawled over and snuggled up next to him, resting her head on his chest, her knee over his legs and her arm around his belly. Inside Sirius felt alarmed at how contented he felt with Flora like this but shrugged it off, telling himself it was only temporary. He put his arm around her shoulders and played with strands of her soft auburn hair, tugging them gently, making her sigh with ecstasy. He loved to play with her hair, especially because he knew how much she liked it and that it really got her in the mood.

"I wonder what's keeping James and Lily? I would of thought they would be in by now, it's nearly 11 o'clock!" Remus said suddenly, after a few minutes silence, looking over at James empty bed.

"He should have been by now, yes, Lily likes to go to bed early doesn't she? Maybe they got carried away and forgot the time, I know I've been there a few times!" Sirius said, looking down at Flora, who smiled knowingly back.

"Sirius they've only been going out 5 minutes and I know Lily isn't that type of girl. I just can't shake this feeling that something is wrong" Remus replied seriously

"Look they could be holed up somewhere having a really long.. .conversation or something. James wouldn't appreciate us coming along and barging in, he's really into this girl and we don't want to go and mess things up for him. Let's just leave it a bit longer, then we'll go and look for him" Sirius told Remus

Remus reluctantly agreed but he still looked worried. When 11.30 arrived, Celia got up saying she was going off to bed and after giving him a lingering kiss, left for her own dorm.

Flora stayed longer as to Sirius's delight he had managed to talk her into another lovemaking session.  
They appeared out of the now closed curtains, around his bed still kissing. She managed to pull away at last, giggling quietly and after putting on her school robe over his shirt, also left.

Sirius normally encouraged his girlfriends to go back to their own rooms when he wanted to go to sleep, but he had to stop himself calling Flora back and asking her to stay with him that night. He thought to himself that he had better finish with her soon, he worried that he was getting to close. He was terrified of falling in love, telling himself that he didn't want to stop having fun while he was young. But secretly it was because he really did not trust any girl enough to give her his heart totally. Even though he adored girls he still felt that he would get his heart broken and didn't want to take the risk.

Remus and Sirius fell asleep not long after the girls left, but in the early hours of the morning Sirius woke up. He often did as he suffered from bad dreams, a remnant from his rather horrible childhood. He sat up suddenly and saw, in the dim candlelight that James was still not in his bed. He immediately got up and walked over to Remus to wake him.

"Moony, wake up, James still isn't back! We have to go and look for him!"

"What's wrong" said Peter, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"James isn't back yet" Sirius told him "come on! We're going to go and look for him"

They all dressed and picked up the invisibility cloak, just in case, then made their way out of the common room. Looking both ways a few times, they climbed out of the portrait hole and made off down the corridors. There seemed to be no one about so they didn't bother donning the cloak yet. They were nearly by the Great Hall when a familiar voice suddenly speaking made them all jump and turn around.

"Where are you boys off to in the middle of the night?"

It was Dumbledore; he always overlooked their more regular night-time activities with Remus, so they didn't expect any trouble this time.

"James is missing Professor, we're going to look for him" Remus replied

"Most of the teachers have already just gone out to look, I alerted them. I hadn't seen them come in so I started to wonder where they could have got to, it isn't like Lily to go off like this normally." As he said this he raised his eyebrows at the three, as if in slight derision. "Well come on, I daresay we will find them soon enough and there will probably be a simple explanation for their absence"

The four of them all walked out of the school together then and marched across the dark grounds, towards the Forbidden Forest. Once there, they lit up their wands and split up into groups of two; Peter went with Dumbledore and Sirius with Remus. After about half an hour a shout went up from Dumbledore that the missing two-some had been found, much to the relief of everyone. Sirius and Remus ran to where there were now many voices talking at once. They saw a very bedraggled and dirty looking Lily and James, in strange robes talking to Dumbledore. Sirius felt quite amazed, 'what _had_ his friend been doing?' When James saw their astonished faces, he grinned.

"Just wait until I tell you what we've been up to," He said, "I know one thing though, when I find out who did this, they're going to pay. They're seriously going to regret messing with me, I'll make sure of it!"


	7. Finding out the truth

The whole school was buzzing with the news of James and Lily's escapades, the night before. Of course everyone had their own theories about what had really happened, but no one knew the truth. Neither, unfortunately for them, did the Marauders, as the James and Lily had little memory of that night. They had plenty of suspicions though, as to who would have the knowledge, the manpower and the sheer gall, to carry out such a complicated prank.

They were all sitting at breakfast, in the Great Hall, one day later. James and Lily had been in the hospital wing for the whole of the previous day to heal their cuts and bruises and generally recover. the two of them, mainly Lily, had had to cope with the suggestive comments and looks from other students and were getting mightily tired of it. James felt anger rising within him, for the humiliation of being 'got' for the first time by another prankster and also at seeing Lily's humiliation. Her squeaky clean reputation had been tarnished and that was hard to bear, as he felt partly to blame, after all she had gone down to meet him hadn't she?

They carried on disscussing the situation for the rest of the day and had been told to be quiet with the threat of detentions in lessons up until dinnertime. After which they all went to sit beneath the shade of their favourite tree, to discuss their situation fruther.

"I vote we get Wormy to do a little spying for us!" Sirius said, glowering at some 4th years who were giggling behind their hands at the group.

"Yes, Wormy we'll need you to go creeping around the Slytherin dorms again, you're the only one small enough to get away with it!" James said looking at a nervous Peter

"He's small, but he's not that small!" Lily exclaimed, "They'll do terrible things to him if he's caught!"

"Ahh! I think now's the time to let you into a little secret Lily!" James said smiling at her, then around at the others, who smiled knowingly back. Lily's mouth gaped as she heard the full story of the gang being unregistered 'Animagus's' and the reason behind it.

"Well that explains a lot!" Lily said finally, when the full story had been told

"We can trust you not to tell a soul, can't we? I mean not a soul Lily, it's imperitive no one finds out the truth about Remus" James asked her, staring directly into her eyes imploringly

"I'll never tell anyone, not as long as I live" Lily replied earnestly

"Well Peter you'd better get going, before lunch finish's, we'll meet tonight, out here, after school so you can tell us what you found out" James told him

Peter merely nodded and smiled and ran off in the direction of the school.

Remus looked on after him a thoughtful expression on his face, then said "He's been acting so strangely lately, I'm not sure I fully trust him anymore. He keeps disappearing and having the same excuses, when I ask him where he's been"

"Oh Moony, you're so paranoid!" Sirius replied, slapping Remus on the top of his arm playfully, "Wormy's one of us and always will be, he's always come through for us in the past. He just likes to go off and be nosey that's all, he's probably spying on the girls in their bathrooms or something!"

"Oh, you would think that! Just because that's what you would do if you could become a rat!" Remus sniggered at him, getting a naughty smirk in return

From what I've heard he already has a reputation as a rat!" Lily joked

"Hey, don't believe everything you hear! I have a lot of satisfied customers that will testify to my good nature you know!' Sirius said, pretending to be hurt by this remark

"You can't be 'sirious'!" James said knowing he would get a battering for that remark, which he did indeed. James and Sirius rolled around on the grass, laughing and grabbing each other, trying to be the one who ended up on top, Sirius won this time

"Do you concede?" Sirius smiled, holding onto James's wrists

"Oh yes darling I would never refuse you, you know that! Now kiss me you hunk!" James said in a falsetto voice, trying not to laugh uncontrollably. Everyone else in the group was now also in fits of laughter at this display and were still smirking when the bell went for the end of lunch. James put his arm protectively around Lily's shoulders, as they walked back into school, with grass still sticking out of his hair. Sirius went off on ahead as soon as he spotted Flora and went off to meet her. Normally he liked to keep things casual and didn't usually meet her for lunch, unless pre-arranged.

That evening they all met up under the oak tree, again, to hear what Peter had found out.

"There was a lot of laughing and Rodolphus was doing most of it, so I thought I would concentrate on him. When he went up to his room I followed him, I nearly got trodden on by that girlfriend of his and her stupid spikey heels!" Peter explained, pulling a face as he remembered.

"Anyway, I followed him and a few other people who're in his gang went up there too. I hid under one of the beds and heard everything!" Peter said smiling round at his rapt audience, he was revelling in the attention

"Well! Tell us what you heard then!" James said impatiently, causing Peter's smile to fade and he began speaking again

"Well you'd probably already guessed it was him! But it was how he did it that was the clever part! He used a memory potion, a banned one, well at least for students of this school, it's used by aurors on muggles, so they don't remember what they've seen if there's a magical accident or something!" he paused again

"So that's why I don't remember what happened!" James exclaimed, " the git, I'm going to get him for this! But how did he get me to take it, I 've never had any trouble fighting off him and his gang before?"

"Ahh, now that was the _really_ clever part, he had to make you angry, so angry that you would lose control for a while! Just enough time for him and his gang to sneak up on you and administer the potion! He arranged it so Lily would think she was meeting someone secretly in the clearing back there" he indicated towards the forbidden forest, "then he made sure you went to the same place at just the right time" Peter continued, obviously on a roll, from all the rapt faces looking at him

"So! What the hell did he do that made me so angry then!" James glowered

Peter grinned, hardly being able to wait for the shocked reactions from his friends, he knew he would get from his next bit of news, "he got Severus Snape to kiss Lily, whether she wanted him to or not! He knew that would get you really mad, he knows how you feel about Snivellus!" He stood back then, basking in the glow of the gaping mouths around him

"WHAT!" James sounded furious. Lily just gaped, like the others, then covered her mouth with her hand

"Lily why would you be meeting him in the woods? I thought he hated you!" James had turned to Lily now, raising his eyebrows curiously

Lily hung her head clasping her hands together, "We've been friends for some time now, secretly of course, we meet in all sorts of places were no one will see us. He likes to keep it that way. But I don't believe he would do such a thing, he'd never force himself on me, he's not like that. He's really quite sweet and shy, I don't even think he's kissed a girl before, it doesn't sound like him atall!" Lily explained, then added, "Please don't go on the rampage after him, he's already suffered enough at your hands James!" Lily asked pleadingly

"Lily it will take every ounce of strength I have not to strike him down were he stands, but if you ask me to show him pity, then I will" James promised grudgingly

"Thankyou, I am sure he will have some sort of explanation for his part in this. They probably gave him no choice, you know what those Slytherins are like, most of them are purebloods and they have close family ties. I think, they all know everything about each other and they must have had something on him. Please let me talk to him first" Lily, looked at James with deep concern. He seemed to give in and smiled lovingly at her

"How can I refuse you when you look at me like that!' James said kissing her softly

"Hey, is this just a spectator sport, or can anyone join in?" Sirius asked jokingly

Both Lily and James laughed and pulled apart, feeling embarrassed at the audience.

The gang went to bed that night, all of them with their minds whirring, thinking of the biggest and best prank, they could do, one that would outsrip all the others and how they were going to get away with it.


	8. Potion

For the next week the gang scoured the library for ideas on potions and charms. Making lists and narrowing them down to suitable ones they might be able to use. Of course they all did their homework aswell, but found it hard to concentrate, as the prank they were planning played too heavily on their minds. It never occurred to them to tell a teacher, for a start they would never tell tales on a student, even a Slytherin and secondly they would have to reveal how they found out something they could not do.

They were all sitting in the library on a wet thursday afternoon, Sirius had already got bored of reading and was practising balancing his wand on the end of his finger, with Peter as his captive audience. Remus and James were sitting side by side, leafing through old charm spell books, giggling every now and again as they found out something that amused them, then sharing it with the group.

Lily was pretty much oblivious to all this, she was so absorbed reading her book. It was an old potions book, obviously little read, because it was so dusty it made her sneeze when she opened it. As she was flicking through, she came across something that caught her eye.

"Hmm, 'polyjuice potion', changes the drinker into whomever they want for an hour, as long as they have a part of their body,s uch as blood or hair" Lily read outloud to herself, musing it over, thoughtfully. James overheard her

"Lily! That's it! What could be more perfect, all we have to do is get Rodolphus out of the way for a while, then we can pretend to be him and some of his gang! Think of the chaos we could cause!" James had jumped up from his chair, in his excitement and enthusiasm

"Shh! Calm down Prongs! We don't want everyone knowing about it do we!" Remus whispered, pulling James back down into his seat

"What does this potion involve and how soon can we have it?" Sirius asked looking at Lily, suddenly interested

"Well it is a very difficult potion to produce and must be made very precisely for it to work." Lily said curbing their enthusiasm somewhat "It says here it takes a month to brew as well!

"A month! I didn't want to wait that long! But then again he'll be expecting us to get him straight away won't he? So he'll be on his guard. Well, we'll just play it cool, for a while and let him bask in the glory, then hit him with the best prank ever!" James said, picking up his enthusiasm again. He began to rub his hands with glee, "Oooh we'll get him so good, people will always remember it, they'll still be talking about it long after we've gone!"

"Trouble is.. none of us here is any great shakes with potions, even though you're taking it James!" Remus cautioned, "Do we know anyone who we can trust, who could do it for us?"

James immediately looked at Lily "She's brilliant, she outshines everyone in the class, she could do it easily!" he said proudly

"I'm not as good as Severus, but I suppose I'm not bad" Lily said humbly, "Of course I'll do it, I want to get Rodolphus back as much as, you all do!"

"Lily Evans! We'll make a Marauder out of you yet!" Sirius joked, pretending to be shocked

"Lily blushed and looked down smiling, then looked up at James who reached over the desk to kiss her tenderly in thanks

"Well all we need to do next is find out what the ingredients are" Remus stated, looking over at the book thoughtfully

"That's the difficult part, some of the ingredients listed are not generally available to students, we'd have to ask our Potions teacher for them!" Lily said, looking around at the gang, knowing this statement would be met with disdain

"Not if we can get into his office and take them without him knowing!" James said with an impish glint in his eye

"How? He's always hanging around his office and he's puts a good locking charm on the door too!" Lily stated

"Oh, we have ways!" James replied giving her a wink and touching his nose. He hadn't told her about the invisibility cloak yet.

They planned to use a distraction, to get their old potions professor out of his office quickly, so he didn't have the chance to lock it. Then one of them could sneak in unseen under the cloak and take whatever they needed, filling up the various bottles and jars, he took from with water to keep their levels the same so no-one could tell they had been tampered with.

They put their plan into action at the weekend, deciding it would be easier as Professor Cobalt was always in his office on a Saturday night, as he preferred to be alone rather than socialising with the other teachers. After memorising the list Lily had given him, James made his way down to the Slytherin dorm with Sirius, Remus and Peter, already wearing his cloak. He was to be the one to go into the office to collect the potions, while his friends caused a disturbance outside.

It would be easy; James waited in his invisibility cloak, while the others stood hanging around in the corridor for the next Slytherin to come along to pick a fight with. Sirius was the one who was going to find this the easiest, being a natural actor, Remus and Peter finding it a little against their nature.

As soon as a group of boys came along, Sirius stood out in the corridor and stuck out his leg, tripping up one of them. After a few sharp words a fight ensued with lots of pushing and shouting. Professor Cobalt soon appeared at the doorway of his office, a face like thunder. He marched up to the group and began pulling the boys apart. Sirius was to keep him out of his office as long as he could while James sneaked in unseen. He nervously searched around not knowing were to look first, trying not to knock anything over, but he soon found what he was looking for.

Once he had collected all of the ingredients he gave the signal of a thumbs up, with just his thumb showing from under his cloak. Peter who was looking out for this signal, nodded to the other two and suddenly everything quietened down again.

"Sorry about that Sir, it was just a misunderstanding" Sirius said apologetically, trying his best not to smile. He had enjoyed that little subterfuge

"I want him punished! He tripped me deliberately! Why would a Gryffendor just happen to be hanging around down here and just _happen_ to have his leg in the wrong place and not notice!" The boy Sirius had tripped said,repeating Sirius's excuse.

"Qiute right!" Professor Cobalt agreed, "30 points from Gryffendor! Now can you all please go back to your dorms where you belong, I want try to enjoy the rest of my evening..in **peace and quiet**!" He emphasised the last words loudly and with that he disappeared into his office slamming the door behind him. As the Slytherin boys walked away glowering, the gang couldn't help sniggering, they had just managed to pull off thier plan and felt pretty good about it.

Once back in the gang's dorm room, James unloaded the potion ingedients out of the box he had been carrying them in, to show Lily. She studied the vials carefully and checked them off against the list in the book

"Well, I suppose I had better get started" she said getting up and picking up the book and box of vials.

"But it's a Saturday night! Don't you want to relax?" James protested

"You want this potion as soon as possible don't you?" Lily said in return, "I've got to find somewhere private to brew it yet! I think that old unused classroom on the way to Divination would be a good place"

They all agreed and Lily began to walk down the stairs.

"Wait Lily! I'll come with you!" James shouted after her

In the end, they all ended up going with her

Once they found the classroom she set up her cauldron and lit the magical fire ready, hoping that James's faith in her abilities wasn't unfounded.


	9. The prank

The potion was soon bubbling merrily away in the cauldron.

"Oh wait, we've got this wrong!" Lily exclaimed in dismay. "It says here the fluxweed has to be picked at full moon, we can't use this stuff" she picked up the vial of fluxweed, she had used. looking over at James with an irritated expression

"Well that's no problem, we'll get some next time we go on a jaunt with Moony!" James winked at Remus, who smiled unenthusiastically back

"Well I've done everything I can now, so we'll just have to hide this pot and cover it until the next full moon, when we can add the fluxweed, then we only need one more ingredient" Lily said getting up

"What? I thought we'd got everything!" James exclaimed

"Oh, we need some hair or something from Rudolphus and whoever else you want to transform into"

"Well that should be easy, we'll just get our pal Wormy here, to get that for us" Sirius said slapping Peter on the back.

Two weeks passed and the full moon waxed into the sky, the Maruaders went on their usual night-time rendevous, to the shrieking shack. On the way back they picked up some fluxweed, easier in their animal form, as they could sniff it out. Lily could now add this ingredient to the now, rather smelly, potion.

Another two weeks went by and the potion was now ready to use. It was only left to decide, finally, who would do the transformation and into who. After much discussion and debate, it was finally decided (with a lot of persuasion on James part) that James and Lily should transform into Rudolphus and Bellatrix. Everyone agreed and felt that Lily, who was now an honourary Marauder, would be made a full member for taking part in this prank.

It wasn't much trouble for Peter to get the hair from Rudolphus and Bellatrix. Lily had made him a little harness to wear when he became a rat, it held two bags to collect the hairs in, one with an 'R' and one with a 'B', so as not to get them mixed up. He had scurried up to their rooms and collected the hairs from their respective beds.

Lily and James prepared for their part by getting some costumes. They went to Hogsmead to do a little clothes shopping, but did not get the Slytherin couple's usual type of clothing. Going into the grottiest, old second hand shop in town they bought old fashioned underwear and ratty old robes, much to the surprised delight of the gnarly looking shopkeeper. Lily also bought makeup in hideous colours and some over the top costume jewellery. They got back to school giggling over their purchases and showed them to the rest of the gang, who had all had a good laugh over them too. The Maruaders were now really looking forward to executing their plan.

The day came, the Monday after their shopping trip; the potion was ready and Lily and James were mentally prepared, making sure they knew Rudolphus's and Bellatrix's mannerisms really well to make themselves as believable as possible. They had found out that the Slytherin couple had Ancient Runes that afternoon and the gang planned on keeping them in that classroom for a while. Sirius and Remus were the ones who would do this task.

After waiting for the other students to come out, the two of them watched for their targets. Once they were out Sirius approached

"I'd like a word Rudolph" Sirius said, purposefully mispronouncing his name, "in there" he indicated, pointing to the now empty classroom they had just come out of.

Rudolphus just snorted distainfully and smirked, moving as to push past

"I insist!" Sirius repeated, more loudly this time, bumping him back with his body and holding his wand up, threateningly.

"Well, I suppose we could spare a few minutes," Rudolphus said, giving in, obviously finding this threat to him more tiresome than frightening. As soon as they were back in the classroom Rudolphus immediately asked:

"So what is it that is so important, Black?" Rudolphus asked, emphasising the 'B'. He raised his eyebrows expectantly, giving a smug smile to his equally malicious minded girlfriend.

"Only this!" Sirius shouted, smiling and running full pelt out of the door. Remus was waiting for him and they grinned at each other, triumphantly. Holding the door shut firmly, the two Maruaders both then threw loads of hexes at the door with their wands, in order to keep it locked shut. Sirius raced out of the school leaving Remus to hold the door and round to the outside of the classroom to do the same, very quickly, to the windows. The gang knew that this would not hold Rudolphus and Bellatrix long, as they were both very powerful and would eventually be able to break free. As long as they were in that classroom for at least an hour though, it was enough time for the damage to be done.

Once they felt the classroom was secure, Remus and Sirius sent a note up to James and Lily, whispering their friends names and uttering a flying spell on it. The note flew off up the corridor and didn't stop until it reached it's recipient.

The note landed into James's hand and after reading it he signaled to Lily that it was time

"Well, here goes!" James said, smiling encouragingly at Lily who looked really nervous

"Don't worry it will be alright, it'll be fun, just you wait and see! Don't forget, you're probably not going to get another chance to be this bad again, so make the most of it!" Lily smiled back at him, slightly cheered by this statement and feeling more confident. They both downed their respective potions and waited. They had gone back into the old classroom again to begin their transformations, sitting with their backs to one another, as the book warned that it would not be a pretty sight. Once the transformation was complete, they turned around and just stood for a while, looking at one another in shock, their brains trying to get around the fact that they were now staring at their hated enemies faces instead of their own familiar ones. Standing with their backs to one another again, they changed into their outfits with James sneaking peaks every now and again.

"You've got a much better bottom than she has you know" James observed, getting a slap on the arm to turn round from Lily, but she was still smiling at the compliment.

Lily's outfit consisted of an old fashioned and rather stained, pair of waist high underwear and a greying bra, topped off with black, ripped and holed tights, an old dress and robe that she planned on taking off later and of course, the really badly applied make-up and jewelry. James's outfit was a pair of grubby, rather dubiously smelling, long johns, scruffy, ripped trousers and a fraying old, knitted tank top, finished off with a decrepit old wizards hat and a pair of dangly clip on earrings.

Now to the Marauders, these were the sort of outfits they could have easily worn for a laugh at a fancy dress party, but Bellatrix and Rudolphus would have rather walked through fire than have lowered themselves to wear things like that. They always dressed and acted as if they were superior to everyone else and looked down on anyone who couldn't afford the things that they could.

All dressed and ready, James and Lily made their way down to the Great hall, both their stomachs churning with nerves. All the other students had already started their dinner. Peter had announced their arrival previously, to make sure that as many people as possible saw them come through the doors. He just started a whispered rumour, telling everyone that the snobby couple had been drinking and were walking around in ridiculous outfits.

Lily and James smiled, nodded to one another and blew each other a kiss before literally falling through the door to into the room. Walking unsteadily and as convincingly drunken as possible, James and Lily made their way to the Slytherin table, losing their balance now and again for effect. They pretended not to know what everyone was staring at, looking around and at each other incredulously. Then in Bellatrix's snotty tone, Lily launched into a tirade

"What's the matter? You lot never seen a girl before?" she slurred, losing her balance and bouncing off a nearby student. People were starting to laugh; it was working! When they got near the Slytherin table, some of Rudolphus's gang started whispering "What the hell is going on" and "What are you doing?" to them both, but the twosome ignored them. Then Lily began climbing the table, helped by James and started to walk along it singing out of tune, which was difficult as Lily normally had a lovely singing voice. As she sung, she began to take off her clothes teasingly, like a stripper, much to the amusement of all except the Slytherin table who kept trying to convince her to come down. If anyone pulled her however, she merely slapped their hands away or used her wand to give them an electric shock, making them let go. Their display had got the attention of the teachers now and the only one who didn't seem to care was Dumbledore. He stayed sitting in his chair a slight smile on his face, watching with interest. Professor Snapcase the Arithmancy teacher, threatened Lily as Bellatrix with detention if she didn't come down, but she ignored him, carrying on her song and beginning to undo the buttons of her dress. Professor Cobalt head of Slytherin House, ordered her down, threatening her with a month of detentions for every evening after school. At this Lily, taking a deep breath for courage, bent down smiling suggestively at the potions teacher. She then kissed him full on the lips, holding his head tightly, to prevent him from pulling away. He eventually managed to get out of her grasp and looked very flustered, as he was a rather ugly and charmless man and probably didn't get kissed very often. By the time he had got his composure back Lily had already taken off her dress to reveal her 'sexy' underwear. She was really getting into her part now and thoroughly enjoying herself. All these years she had treated the Maruaders pranks with derision and now she was only just finding out why they had loved doing them so much.

She swung the dress around over her head for effect, threw it at the red faced potions teacher, then sashayed unsteadily further down the table, slipping every now and again on spilt food or drink. All the time she had been doing this, James had been clapping and cheering her on with a big grin on his face. Everyone was either too embarrassed to say anything or enjoying the show too much, so no students made a move to stop her.

Lily had now sat down, James throwing off any teachers attempts at making a grab for her. She was balancing her legs on the shoulders of a very embarrassed and rather overweight boy, while she peeled off her tights as sexily as if they were silk stockings. As a finishing touch she pulled them over his head, making him look like a bank robber. The boy quickly pulled them off, red faced, but tucked them sneakily into his pocket, when he thought no-one was looking.

"I'm coming lover!" James called in a sing song voice, climbing up on the table, after seeing she had finished her part of the show. He felt so proud of her convincing performance, his normally reserved and quiet girlfriend, to his pleasant surprise, was a great actress. Once up, he also stripped off, to reveal his stained and rather musty smelling underwear, trying to dance like Lily had and nearly falling off the table in the process. When he had finished, James reached out his hand to Lily to help her stand up and they began tangoing up and down the table, stepping in peoples dinners and spilling drinks all over the place. Professor Cobalt was now near boiling point, his face bright red with a vein bulging and throbbing in his temple.

"Get off from there now, before I do something that _you _might regret!" He spat, holding out his wand threateningly

Lily and James decided that enough was enough and they got down. Once on the floor and after an eye signal from James, they suddenly knelt on the ground begging for forgiveness from the potions Professor and hanging on to his robes, crying like scolded children. This got most of the now riveted audience roaring with laughter.

"Please forgive us, we didn't mean it, we've just had a little drinky that's all, you know how it is; just to help us through the day!" James said pleadingly, looking up at the disgusted teacher, who was trying to disengage their hands from his robes.

The headmaster had come over now looking furious, "Kindly keep control of your students Cubrick (professor Cobalt's first name) or I will put _you_ on detention with them!" he said glowering at the potions teacher, who was still trying to tug his robes from James's hands.

"Yes, of course Headmaster" Cobalt said respectfully, nodding at him, then turned to the groveling twosome on the floor

"You two, go and sober up and get changed and be waiting by my office in half an hour!" he snarled.

This was perfect, as half an hour had already gone by. That left them half an hour to get back to the room were they had left their clothes, get changed, wait to transform back into themselves and saunter into their next class as if nothing had happened. It wasn't unusual for the Maruaders not to turn up for meals in the Great Hall, as they were rather friendly with the house elves and in the summer often got them to make up a picnic that they could take into the grounds to eat. They would also let Rudolphus and Bellatrix out of the classroom, if they hadn't already broken out as Remus and Sirius wouldn't be able to hold them much longer.

As soon as Lily and James reached the outside of the Great Hall, they both collapsed into hysterical Laughter. Talking about what they had just done in-between snorts and chortles, they made their way towards the old classroom, both feeling completely exhilarated and that they had definitely got their own back.


End file.
